The Value of Batman

In the 1950s comic books were under attack. Moral crusaders organized mass comic-book burnings, citing the four-color funny books as a key contributor to the nation's juvenile delinquency woes. But by the late 1980s, comic books had become a "collectible," a valuable item sure to increase in value — if you just bought the right one. And while today's comic books probably aren't going to increase in value, yesteryear's comics continue to command top dollar. Peter Coogan, director of the Institute for Comics Studies, discusses exactly how comics rose from being yesterday's shame of the nation to today's highly valued commodity in the lecture "Spinning Gold out of Scrap Paper: How Comic Books Went from Trash to Treasure." Coogan shares his insights at 1 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum. Admission is free.
Sun., Jan. 3, 2010